


"I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking."

by Yuuki_Nyanmaru



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22035457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuuki_Nyanmaru/pseuds/Yuuki_Nyanmaru
Summary: “Why are you here?”“I was getting sleepy too, so I followed you. I thought that we could take the taxi together.”“I see. That’s fine by me.”Sharing the cab with Aiba was more than fine if he had to be honest.
Relationships: Aiba Masaki/Sakurai Sho
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: Sakuraiba Tanabata 2019-2020





	"I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking."

**Author's Note:**

> Seventh drabble of the Sakuraiba Tanabata 2019-2020!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this! ^^

“Who is up for another round?” Jun asked as he called the waiter for ordering another drink.

“Not me, I’m too tired and I could fall asleep any minute,” Sakurai replied, finishing his glass of beer, “So, I’ll be leaving now.”

“This early?” Aiba turned towards him, watching him as he got up and put on his coat.

“This year it’s me the one having to help my mum with Christmas’ decorations at my parents’ place,” he explained. Every year, either him or one of his siblings would help their mother adorning the house for the ' _most delightful time of the year,'_ as she used to say.

“Ah, right! Last year it was your brother and the year before your sister.”

“Why do you even remember that?” Ninomiya told Aiba, chuckling.

“I just happened to remember it,” the other man mumbled, looking down.

“Anyway, have a great night guys, see you soon.”

“Take care!” Ohno exclaimed, smiling at him.

After bidding goodbye to the other four, he exited the club and began to walk towards the taxi stop. The roads were packed and even the sidewalks were very crowded. He didn’t expect to see so many people at this hour; either December had brought life to people or it was him who was coming home really earlier than usual.

Catching a glimpse of the taxi stop, he saw some people waiting there. They were just a few, but that meant that he still had to wait a bit. Luckily, that night there wasn’t any wind, so he didn’t risk to freeze completely while standing in the cold.

He positioned himself behind the last person, and was ready to take out his phone from his coat’s pocket when someone tapped him on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Aiba grinning at him.

“Why are you here?”

“I was getting sleepy too, so I followed you. I thought that we could take the taxi together.”

“I see. That’s fine by me.”

Sharing the cab with Aiba was more than fine if he had to be honest. First, his friend was a very nice company; second, he would stay alone with him and this connected to the third point: his feelings for him would have rejoiced in his heart. They already did when Masaki remembered that detail of his life at the bar, he even had to contain himself to not smile like the happiest person in the world.

“Sho, can I ask you a question?”

His eyes blinked as he focused again on the man standing next to him, “Sure, what is it?”

“Is your family cliché at Christmas?”

He gave him a confused look, furrowing his eyebrows.

The taller man chuckled before explaining himself, “I mean, do they ask you if you have finally found someone?”

“Ah,” he said and laughed out loud. That question was the first thing his mother and grandmother would ask him. Every year the reply was the same, ' _No one yet,'_ but the real one was that, in fact, he had found someone, but that person didn’t feel the same way. It had been three years by now, three long years…

“You know, I’m running out of replies and explanations,” Masaki said.

“I feel you.”

“But I can’t do much, right? I did find someone and I’m trying to send every possible signal to make them understand, but they just won’t pick them up. And this makes everything confusing because I start to wonder, if, after all, it’s just me imagining that these feelings are mutual.”

Sakurai stiffened. He knew that sooner or later his tiny hope would have faded out, but he could have never imagined that it would have happened this fast and this brutally. At least, though, he could sympathize with Masaki, since he was in the same situation. The only thing which connected them was the hell of unrequited love.

To his relief, some cabs had already picked some people up, so, before them, only two ladies were left. If before he wished to stay with the other, now, he wanted to return home as soon as possible.

“Maybe your signals are not very clear to this person?” Sho suggested him, trying to help him out, as a good friend would do.

“I don’t think so. I gave him a bouquet of flowers for his birthday, I call him even if I don’t have anything to tell him, I’m always texting him and inviting him at my place, I even remember the last time he helped out his mother during Christmas, and I even left my friends earlier just so I could share the taxi with him…”

At that moment, Sho’s brain stopped working. When the other started to talk, mentioning everything he did for the person he was in love with, every word would stab him in his heart. However, the more words he was adding, the more Sho’s heartbeat became faster. Masaki was talking about...him.

He turned to look at the taller man, who had a soft smile on his face and a light blush on his cheeks.

“Maybe this wasn’t the right way to tell you, and maybe this is the alcohol’s doing-”

“I feel the exact same way,” he cut him off.

“Do you mean that my suppositions were right?!” Aiba asked, coming near him, wanting to be sure of what he had just heard.

“Totally right, but, how did you notice?”

“Please Sho,” he shook his head, “I see the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.”

Sakurai blushed hearing that and looked down. At that same moment, a taxi stopped in front of them and opened its door.

“Do you want to come at mine?” Aiba proposed.

“No,” he replied but before the other would ask what he meant, he added, “You’re coming at my apartment. And tomorrow you’ll come with me and help my mother out. Sorry if I use you, but you can do the same with me, so no one will ask you again if you have a lover.”

“Are you perhaps telling me that I can finally reply with, ‘ _Yes, I have a lover and we love each other from the moon and back,_ ’?” Masaki leaned in to stare right in his eyes.

“Well, where’s the lie?”

They were only a few inches apart but eventually pulled out and got in the cab. Exchanging their first kiss in front of a taxi driver wasn’t what they wished for the most. Also, that night, they would have plenty of time for that anyway.


End file.
